Life Sciences Python exam plagued by technical issues again
Students have reported that a Python coding exam for Life Sciences students was beset with technical issues for the second year in a row. Felix understands a formal complaint regarding these issues has been filed by student representatives on Thursday 21st May.
Students said that the questions for the exam that took place in early May were released on BlackBoard for one group about an hour before students entered the exam room, giving them time to attempt the questions using AI agents. In an email, a professor from the Life Science department said reports of an early exam release had been “investigated”, adding that “if this resulted in any advantage, it would have been minimal.”
The Life Sciences Undergraduate Education Office said: “Once marking has been completed and results analysed, we will consider whether any mitigation is required. We will then meet with Biochemistry students to review the situation and provide an update.”
Another exam sitting session for students benefiting from extra time arrangements was disturbed by an improper configuration of Safe Exam Browser (SEB), difficulties accessing VSCode, and invigilators reportedly being unable to exit SEB when issues occurred, according to one student representative. The session, which was also disturbed by nearby construction noises, was eventually cancelled and rescheduled for late June.
A student representative from the Life Sciences department said issues with computer-based assessments across the Faculty of Natural Sciences had been raised in Student Staff Committee meetings and Digital Learning Group meetings.
